The Invitations
by ItsNotMyBirthday
Summary: This is a new Callen story where the agents receive unusual invitations. Hetty and the girls are sent to an undisclosed location, and Arkady is with the boys.


**CBS owns the characters, except for those of my creation. The story is my creation.**

* * *

"Hetty, where are we going?" Nell asked. She climbed into the limousine and slid across the seat to make room for Kensi.

"I assure you I don't know, Ms. Jones. I received the same invitation you all did," Hetty replied. "Come sit here, Ms. Kolcheck," she added, patting the space beside her.

Anna climbed into the limousine and sat beside the older woman. "Hetty, what's going on?"

Hetty looked at her. "As I just told Ms. Jones, I have no idea."

Several minutes later, Kensi climbed into the limousine. She sat beside Nell. She looked at her companions, and was struck by the fact that it was just them, and not their men.

"Where is Deeks?" she asked. "Isn't he coming with us?"

Nell shook her head. "Eric isn't here either, Kenz."

"This is very strange," Anna put in. "Are we being kidnapped?"

"Oh, gosh, I hope not, Ms. Kolcheck. That would be most inconvenient for all of us," Hetty said. "We all are here. Who is running OPS for us?"

**2**

Callen woke up slowly, turning on his side so he could give Anna her morning kiss. She wasn't in the bed with him, so he sat up and looked around for her. He didn't see her and he couldn't hear her. The apartment was eerily quiet so he got up and walked around, looking for her. Maybe she had gone out to get something special for them for breakfast, he concluded.

On his return from the bathroom, he noticed an envelope on the floor just inside the door. Callen picked it up and sniffed it, but there was nothing odd about it. He tossed it onto the table and got ready for work.

**3**

"Kenz!" Deeks called. "Kensalina, where are you?"

There was no response, so he walked around their apartment to find traces of her, and he discovered that her purse was gone, along with her go-bag. He frowned. Why would she leave for work without him?

Deeks showered and dressed quickly. Perplexed, he decided to skate to work on his Rollerblades. As he went out the front door, he saw a stray envelope on the path in front of him. He picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket without looking at it. Then he locked his door, and sailed across town, grateful because he didn't have to battle the traffic.

**4**

Arkady was sitting out on his back patio for breakfast. He enjoyed the early morning peace and quiet. His valet brought a tray laden with all kinds of Continental pastries and sweetmeats that he could pick and choose from, and Arkady loaded his plate with several scones and a few sausages. He saw an envelope on the tray.

"What's this?" he asked the valet as he picked up the envelope. He sniffed it. "Where you get this?"

"It was on the table," the servant replied.

"Table? What table?" Arkady knew that no one had access to his house unless they had an appointment.

"The cook found it outside when he got here, and he put it on the dining room table where he usually puts your mail, Mr. Kolcheck."

Arkady nodded. "Thank you. That'll be all for now."

The valet took his leave, and disappeared into the house.

**5**

Eric wandered around his apartment. "Nell, where are you?" he called. He looked to see if she had left a note, but there was nothing. He began to panic slightly, hoping her mother hadn't taken a turn for the worse, which would add to Nell's already overloaded plate.

He pulled the bottle of strawberry smoothie from the fridge that Nell had made the day before, and poured it into a tall tumbler. Then he rinsed and washed the jug and put it in the dish-drain to dry. Choosing a wide straw from the huge box, Eric walked around his apartment again. He found no evidence of Nell, so he figured that she had gone into work early.

He picked up his go-bag from the floor, and saw an envelope underneath its location. Eric picked it up, and opened it. His eyes registered shock. He wasted no time in getting to OPS.

**6**

"Guys! What's going on?" Eric asked as he barged into the Gun Room. He waggled his envelope in his co-workers' faces.

"Stop!" Callen said. He pulled his envelope from his bag.

"Oh, my God!" Deeks squawked. "I got one, too!" He took it from his pocket.

"Hey, Callen, where's Sam?" Eric asked, leaning on the table.

Callen answered, "He's at Kamron's school for an assembly. I think she is in some kind of show."

"Oh," said Deeks. He flapped his envelope nervously. "Callen, what is going on?"

"I honestly do not know." His phone pinged. "Oh, dear God," he swore. "Arkady is on his way in!" He dropped his phone into his pocket. "Come on, guys! We'll meet him in OPS, not here."

Both Deeks and Eric agreed. They hurried over to OPS, and Eric pulled up a screen of Greater Los Angeles to make it look like they were busy.

The pneumatic door opened silently, and Arkady entered. He saw the bewildered expressions on the younger men's faces.

"What's going on, boys?" he asked, sitting on a nearby chair. "Did you get like this?" He took his envelope from his breast pocket and held it out for them to see.

Callen frowned. "Yes, Arkady. We all did, and to be honest, I thought you were behind it."

"Me? Why me, Callen? I wouldn't do something like this!" Arkady objected.

"Well, if you didn't, then who did?" Deeks wanted to know.

"Trust me when I tell you I don't know," Arkady answered. "Where is my Anna?"

Callen frowned. "I don't know. She was gone when I got up this morning."

Deeks looked at him funny. "Yeah? Kensi was gone when I woke up."

"Say what?" Eric gasped. "Nell wasn't home when I got ready this morning!"

Deeks did some counting on his fingers. "So, then…where's Hetty?"

**7**

"Girls, this is absurd!" Hetty complained as they followed a maid down an elegant corridor to their room.

"You're telling me?" Kensi exploded.

"I don't like this!" Anna grumbled.

"Why are we here?" Nell whined.

The maid did nothing but smile at them before she closed and locked the door.

The room was very pretty and feminine, furnished with two queen-size beds, a couch, several easy chairs, and a dining table. A large-screen TV hung over the mantel.

Anna threw her bag onto one of the beds, and then started kicking it.

Hetty touched her arm. "Ms. Kolcheck, that really won't help us get out of this mess," she said gently.

"I'm sorry, Hetty," Anna said. "I don't want to be here."

"None of us do, Anna," Nell said. "We have to figure out why we are here, and having a hissy fit isn't going to help us."

Kensi nodded. She refrained from punching a hole in the wall. "This really sucks," she said, tossing her go-bag on the other bed.

Hetty sat in one of the easy chairs. "Nell, put your bag with Kensi's, and then all of you come over here and sit down, please." She pointed to the couch.

One by one, the girls sat down.

"Hetty, who is behind this?" Kensi asked.

The older woman shook her head. "I really don't know, dear. That's why we have to work together to solve this mess. We have to keep the fights and arguments down to a minimum."

"Don't you mean a bare minimum?" Anna said.

Hetty gave her a dirty look. "Anna…Do. Not. Get. Snarky."

Nell and Kensi burst out laughing, and Anna pouted, feeling sorry for herself.

Hetty frowned. She was not in the mood to put up with her recalcitrant child. She pointed to the bed she would be sharing with Anna. "Go."

"What?" Anna said. "No!"

Nell and Kensi became very quiet. They exchanged glances.

"Ms. Kolcheck, go lie down," Hetty commanded. "I happen to know that you get punch-drunk when you're overtired and hungry."

"Oh, yeah?" Anna argued. "Callen told you that?"

Hetty clamped down on her own temper. "No, he did not. He didn't need to. You are exactly like him, Ms. Kolcheck. Please go lie down until the food comes. I won't say it again."

Kensi got up. "Anna, please. This is hard on all of us. We don't even know if the guys are okay. Please." She held her hand out.

Anna made a face, but accepted Kensi's hand. She let Kensi lead her across the room.

**8**

Nell watched with curiosity. "Hetty, how come you put Kensi and me together, instead of you and me?"

Hetty smiled. "Well played, Ms. Jones. You and Kensi can handle yourselves and your separations. Ms. Kolcheck isn't that strong yet. I need to keep her with me.

"Ms. Jones, she'll be all right, but not right now. She is hungry and she is overtired, and she does not function well when she gets like that. Neither does Mr. Callen."

Nell chuckled. "That's pretty funny."

"Yes, it is, Ms. Jones, but I know my children. I know who needs what and when they need it, and it makes my job that much easier."

"I can see that," Nell agreed.

Then Hetty picked up the phone, and dialed room service. She asked for some Earl Grey tea, coffee, soup, fruit juices, snacks, several kinds of sandwiches, and a pizza.

**9**

"I don't want to lie down," Anna complained to Kensi.

"Anna, I know you don't, but it'll be better if you do. Hetty doesn't play around with things like this," Kensi said. She opened the bed.

"But I don't even know if Callen is okay!"

Kensi gave her a hug. "Get in the bed, Anna."

Anna sat on the bed, and took off one bootie with her other foot, and prepared to toss it across the room.

Kensi intervened, and snatched that bootie, and the other one, before any damage could be done. She placed Anna's shoes under the bed, and then held the blankets for her. "Get in."

Grumbling, Anna crawled under the covers, and Kensi covered her. Then she knelt on the floor in front of her friend.

"Anna, it will be okay," Kensi said soothingly. "It's about all of us, not just you. It's about WE. WE will be all right. All of us. Me and Deeks, Nell and Eric, and you and Callen. And Hetty."

"Kensi, how are we going to get out of here? That lady locked the door."

"I know she did. We'll figure something out, and so will the boys. They are not going to let us stay in here to rot. Trust me."

In spite of herself, Anna smiled. Then she scrunched her eyes closed.

Kensi noticed. "What's wrong?"

Anna turned her face into her pillow so that Kensi wouldn't see her cry.

Kensi patted her shoulder. "Oh, God, Anna," she said. "It's okay if you want to cry. Don't worry about it. He will come to save you, just like Deeks will come and rescue me, and Eric will come for Nell."

Anna turned onto her back as the tears streamed out of her eyes. Something occurred to her, and she asked, "Who's going to save Hetty?"

Kensi snickered. "Probably your dad!"

Anna glared at her silently.

**10**

"This is nuts!" Arkady said.

"You're telling me?" Callen groused.

"Guys! Stop!" Deeks said. "We have to figure out a working plan so we can save the girls, and we cannot spend the day arguing about it. It won't help!" He jiggled his ear.

"Are you hearing anything?" Eric asked.

Deeks shook his head. "Not a peep."

"Boys, what we can do to find the girls?" Arkady asked.

"I don't know, Arkady," said Deeks. "But we will think of something."

Eric made a face. "When?" he asked mournfully.

Callen turned on him. "That is not helping!"

Deeks glared at him. "Callen, shut up. You aren't helping either!"

"Boys! Enough with this petty crap!" Arkady objected. "Why don't we stay together at the boat shed?"

"What?!" said Callen.

"No, Callen," said Deeks. "I think he's onto something here. If we stay centrally located, then we will know where we all are at all times, and right now, that's of paramount importance."

Eric nodded. "Good idea, Deeks." He jabbed a few buttons on the computer mainframe. "I'm ready," he declared.

Callen snickered. He picked up his go-bag. "How about it, Arkady? Are you ready?"

"Fresh boy!" Arkady pointed out. "My bag is in my car."

Callen hooted, and then shook his head. "Nope. You don't have a bag!"

"So what if I don't?" Arkady shot back. "Let's get going!"

"Callen, so help me God, if you don't stay so quiet that even a dust mite can't hear you, I am going to knock you out!" Deeks asserted. "This is hard on all of us, not just you!"

"You—" Callen began, lunging at Deeks.

Eric grabbed Callen and held his arms down. "Stop it!" he growled directly into Callen's ear.

"Where is key to car?" Arkady wanted to know.

Deeks frowned. "Why?"

"Why not? We have to go to boat shed."

Deeks relented. "It's on the wall by Hetty's desk."

Arkady nodded, looking at each of his companions. "Okay, boys! MOVE!" he roared.

**11**

Hetty sat on the edge of the bed next to the unhappy girl.

"What's wrong, dear?" she asked Anna, who was still awake.

Anna looked at her silently.

Hetty took her hand and stroked it. "This mess will work itself out, Ms. Kolcheck," she said sympathetically.

"How do you know that?" Anna argued.

"I don't," Hetty said amicably. "I just know my team."

Anna made a face.

"Try to relax, and maybe get some sleep, Ms. Kolcheck." Hetty released Anna's hand and then patted her shoulder. "I am pretty sure you'll feel better if you do."

Anna glared at Hetty as she left the room. "I'm not a little kid who needs to be put to bed!"

**12**

Nell opened the cabinet door on the left side of the mantel, and found a closet full of all kinds of board games.

"Whoa!"

Kensi was exploring the right side cabinet. "What?"

"Look here!" Nell scanned the games' titles, and settled on a flat aqua box, and pulled it out. "Survive?!"

Kensi laughed. "Maybe it's a shoot'em up game?"

Nell opened the lid, and lifted up the game board. "I don't think so, Kenz. It's full of all kinds of figurines."

Curiosity got the better of her, so she brought the colorful box over to the dining table. She found the instructions and began to read them.

Her silence attracted Kensi, who joined her at the table.

"What's up?"

"You know? I'm pretty sure this is very easy, but the instructions are convoluted!"

**13**

Outside in the private car lot, Arkady found the Caddy, and pointed to it.

"Get in the damn car!" he ordered.

"Shotgun!" Deeks screamed.

Callen made a face, and climbed into the backseat, and Eric followed him.

Arkady walked around to the driver's side, and got in the car. "We have to come up with a plan," he said conversationally.

Callen glared at Eric. "Yes, we do," he said. "We should compare our letters, too."

Deeks nodded. "That's actually a really good idea, Callen."

Arkady eased the car into the traffic, and they drove across town silently.

**14**

A vast array of computers twinkled and blipped as Lukke Persienner studied their screens. She focused exclusively on the Hotel Fledermaus and its special guests. She saw the girl in the bed as an easy target.

Lukke poked a button. She became aggravated when she saw that the boat shed was still empty.

**15**

The ride to the boat shed was devoid of frustrations, and they were all grateful.

"Guys, I think we should check it out before we all go in," said Deeks.

"Are you paranoid?"

Deeks shot Callen a dirty look. "Don't start. We're in this all together, Callen. Let's not forget that."

The three agents examined the doors and windows very carefully, looking for misplaced wires, or wires of odd colors.

"What should I do?" Arkady wanted to know.

"Relax," Deeks answered.

Arkady reached out to open the door, but Deeks cut him off.

"No! Do NOT open the door!" Deeks hissed. "Look here!" He pointed to a nearly invisible clump of wires whose sources came from beyond the bushes next to the door.

"What'd you find?" Eric inquired.

Deeks shook his head. "I don't know, but I do know that we are definitely being watched!"

**16**

"Kenz, what's with her?"

"Nothing, Nell. She's fine," Kensi answered, placing the beach tiles on the game board within the outline of the island.

"Kensi…"

"Oh, come on, Nell," Kensi flared. "Anna is missing Callen is all."

A slow smile spread across Nell's face as she understood what Kensi was saying.

"I got it," she said, picking up the instructions again. She peered at them. "Okay. Now we have to choose a color."

Kensi snatched a tiny man. "Yellow!"

Nell made a face. "Okay. I'll take the red ones, and the orange. If only two people are playing, we can take two sets of men, which we have to spread them out on the big island." She arranged her men, and Kensi followed suit with the yellow and maroon men. "Hetty, would you like to join us?"

"Oh, no, dear," the older woman replied. "I'm good." She held up the book she was reading.

"Okay," Nell said. She turned her focus to the game at hand. She scanned the board. "I think we're ready to start, but, Kensi, you're going to have to read the instructions to me as we go along."

Kensi laughed. "You? With the highest IQ of us all?"

"Well…" Nell burbled.

With a huge grin on her face, Kensi found the place on the instruction sheet and marked it with a pencil. "Okay. First, take a beach piece out from under your man…"

**16**

Deeks held his penlight with his teeth, looking closely for the other ends of the wires he had found. All of a sudden, he found them.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" he declared. "Guys, look!" He pointed to the ceiling. "The point of entry is through that duct!"

"What are they wired to?" Arkady asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Deeks said. "Eric, we can use your expertise here."

"On it!" Eric calculated the amount of feet from the hidden camera to the wall where the entry point was located. "It shouldn't be that hard to hack into its server."

"Go for it!" Callen said.

"Do you think it will blow us up?"

Callen shook his head. "No, Arkady," he said. "This lunatic is too interested in seeing what we're doing. If he or she blows us up, seeing us stops permanently."

Arkady nodded. "I get that part, but how do we find—"

"Arkady," Callen began impatiently, "I don't know. None of us knows how we're going to find the girls. ALL of the girls, and Hetty, too!"

Arkady went over and sat down on the couch. He lay back and closed his eyes.

**17**

Lukke sat bolt upright as a couple of the computer screens went dark. She poked this button and that button, but the computers did not respond. Then she turned them off and on, and still the darkened computers did not work. Then she turned off their towers and rebooted them, all to no avail. She glowered.

**18**

The door opened with no warning, and an orderly brought in a cart full of food for Hetty and the girls. The orderly left just as quietly.

"You think it's safe to eat?" Kensi asked.

Hetty nodded. "I do. And I also think there is something fishy about all of this," she said, waving her hand to highlight her point. "Making us all sick won't serve a purpose."

"Then can we dig in?"

"Of course, Ms. Blye," Hetty said, taking the lids off the covered dishes. She saw a tureen of loaded chicken soup. "Oh, goody!"

**19**

"Dammit!" Eric swore. He jiggled a few buttons on the mainframe of the boat shed.

"What?" asked Callen, who was stretched out on the floor.

"I just shorted out the whole grid."

Deeks looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "How?"

Eric shook his head. "I have no idea. It shouldn't have happened to begin with." He got up and followed the length of the wires protruding from the overhead duct. "Oh, bugger!"

Callen and Deeks laughed.

"What funny, boys?" Arkady said from his perch on the couch.

"Never mind," Eric answered aloud. "I wired it wrong," he muttered almost inaudibly.

"Really?" Deeks contradicted.

"Yes, really, but Arkady doesn't need to know that," Eric said.

"True," Deeks agreed. "Do you think you can get it going again?"

"God, I hope so!"

**20**

Hetty shook Anna's shoulder lightly. She hated waking her because she sensed that the girl could use the extra sleep.

"Ms. Kolcheck…Anna, dear. It's time to get up. The food has arrived," she said quietly, shaking Anna's shoulder again.

Anna turned onto her back, and dragged her arm down her face. Then she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"What smells so good?" she asked.

"Our lunch," Hetty said. "Come, dear."

Anna nodded. She got off the bed and followed Hetty to the dining table where Kensi had set it for them.

"You okay, Anna?" Nell said, offering her a basket of buns.

"Thanks, Nell. I am okay," Anna replied, sitting down. "I'll skip the buns. Can I have some of the soup, please?"

**21**

Lukke gave up on the dark computers. She adjusted the viewing angle on the computers whose feed was looped into the Hotel Fledermaus. She noticed that the sleeping girl was sitting at the table.

She looked at each diner, zooming in on each woman.

Then she shook her sleeve, and a Derringer slid into her hand. She aimed the little gun at each woman, and pulled the trigger.

**22**

Anna shivered. "Why do I feel like I'm being watched?"

Kensi looked around the room. "I feel it, too, but I can't see anything."

"It's probably because we are being watched," Hetty said.

"This is giving me the willies," put in Nell.

"We didn't really search for bugs or anything," Kensi answered.

Nell made a face. "I know, and all four of us know better." She pressed her ice cold glass against her temple. "I really don't like this!"

"Girls, we have to keep our wits about us," Hetty said, making a cup of tea. "There is something fishy about all of this. We are being given the royal treatment, but why? If we are being held prisoners, why are we in this palace?"

Kensi looked around again. "I don't get it either, Hetty."

"What about the boys?" Nell asked. "Where are they?"

**23**

"Boys, it's getting late," Arkady said. "Surely we can do something so we can get something to eat?"

"I don't see why not," Deeks said. "We aren't prisoners, are we?"

Callen shrugged. "Don't be so sure, Deeks. We all got those phony invitations. Maybe the girls got one, too?"

"Maybe," Deeks said. "Otherwise, how else would they have been able to so completely disappear?"

Arkady shuffled the deck of cards he had found. "Poker, boys?"

"Nah," said Deeks. "Not with that deck. That's a pinochle deck."

"What?" Arkady said, flipping it face up on the table, spreading it out. "This is not good!" He stacked the cards, and put them back into their box.

Suddenly, Deeks frowned. "What the—" He stood up so fast that his chair fell over backwards. "Somebody's outside the door!"

Callen glanced at the monitor. "That's not a somebody. That's a pizza delivery guy!"

"Say what?" said Eric.

"Naah…you and Arkady stay here," Callen said. "Deeks and I will deal with this."

**24**

Anna paced back and forth. She was too edgy to sit down for any length of time.

Kensi noticed that Hetty was about to reprimand her. She shook her head. "Please, Hetty. She's already very upset because you put her to bed, so please just leave her alone. We all want to get out of here, but we have nowhere to go. We don't even have access to a gym."

Hetty sighed. "I suppose you're right, Ms. Blye. I am just as cagey."

Nell smirked. "Me, too," she agreed, flapping her arms up and down. She got out of her chair and began to twirl around the room.

Kensi laughed. "I think we should join Nell," she said to Hetty.

Hetty chuckled. "Oh, no, Ms. Blye. I'll manage."

"No, Hetty!" Kensi objected, pulling the older woman out of her chair. She caught Nell's eye.

Nell pirouetted over to Anna, and grabbed her hands. "Come on, Anna! We need to do something before we all wind up in the looney bin!"

"Girls, please! No," Hetty insisted. "I appreciate being included, but no. You all go ahead." She squeezed Kensi's hands and returned to her easy chair with a smile on her face.

Nell snatched a handful of pencils from the desk, and gave one each to Kensi and Anna, causing them to begin an impromptu karaoke night.

Hetty put her feet up, and thoroughly enjoyed listening to and watching the girls' antics.

**25**

Callen had his gun drawn, but Deeks opened the door. They

jerked the delivery boy into the boat shed.

"Who sent you here?" Deeks demanded.

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. We got an order, and they said to bring it here."

"Who said?" Callen said.

"I don't know," the boy insisted. "This is the receipt." He handed a slip of paper to Callen, who made a face.

"It says nothing at all, and everything was paid for in cash," he told Deeks.

"Oh, boy," Deeks said. "Never mind. Thank you for the food."

Callen dug some change from his pockets and handed it to the boy, who fled as fast as he could.

Deeks carried the boxes over to the dining table. "Well, at least we aren't going to starve!"

"Perhaps not," Callen said, "but this means that WE are being held captive!"

"What the hell is going on?" Deeks said slowly as he sat down.

**26**

The girls collapsed onto the nearest piece of furniture, and burst out laughing.

"That was fun!" Nell said.

"It was," said Anna. "I feel better, too."

Kensi nodded. "That's good to hear. I think we all feel better. I also think we need to start looking for bugs, or ways to get out of here."

"Good plan," said Nell, who put her feet up on the coffee table.

"Aren't you going to help?" Kensi asked, frowning.

Nell grinned. "Nope. I am tired, actually. You and Anna do it."

Hetty smirked, but didn't make a sound.

Rolling their eyes, both Kensi and Anna got up and began to search thoroughly, looking for bugs, wires, and gaps that didn't make sense. After an hour, they decided to stop.

Kensi was very frustrated. "Hetty, there is nothing out of place!" She sat down and slammed her feet on the coffee table. Then she sat bolt upright. "Maybe it's not us they're after!"

**27**

"Well, that pizza was tasty!" Deeks exclaimed to nobody in particular.

Arkady licked his fingers. "Yes, it was. Now, how we going to get out of here, boys?"

Callen shook his head. "I don't know, Arkady. We can't even figure out why we're here!"

Deeks leaned back in his chair, and rested his head on its tall back. Then he closed his eyes.

"Are there any loose ends from any of our cases?"

Callen looked at him. "That's a thought. But, why would they take the girls?"

"Really, Callen?" said Eric. "To distract us from what's really going on, I think."

"Okay," Callen agreed. "But where did they take the girls?"

"I put a tracker in Nell's bag a while ago," Eric volunteered.

Callen growled at him. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because I just thought of it now!" Eric shot back.

"Did you turn it on?" Deeks said.

"I don't know what good it would do now," Eric answered, "since the computers here aren't working."

"But we have a back-up generator!" Callen offered, with an edge to his voice.

"I'm afraid not," Eric said sadly. "Whoever they are were very thorough. We are completely blind."

"That doesn't help!"

"Don't start up again, please, boys," Arkady put in. "How about we go back to OPS, or to town where there is WiFi?"

**28**

"Girls, I think we should call it a night," Hetty said, yawning.

Nell frowned. "What if we are not tired?"

Kensi's eyes widened at Nell's cheekiness, but she said nothing.

"Then you lie in your bed and hang out for a little while," Hetty replied. "This has been a very hard day for all of us, and it would behoove all of us to get some rest. We have our work cut out for us tomorrow."

"Okay, Hetty," Anna agreed. "Maybe we can even find a way to get out of here!"

Nell nodded. "I'm with you on that!" She plowed through her go-bag looking for her sleeping shirt.

Hetty pointed to the bathroom, but all three girls shook their head. The older woman nodded her thanks, and closed the door behind her.

Kensi messed around in her bag, and finally settled on a long-sleeved shirt to sleep in, with a pair of shorts.

"Yeah…well," she fudged, blushing when she realized that the other two girls noticed.

Nell grinned widely as she put her sleeping shirt on over her head, peeling off her clothes as she went along.

Anna grinned. "Clouds?"

"No. Not at all," Nell answered. "Teddy bears. Eric thought they were cute."

"I see," Anna chuckled. She put on a very large t-shirt that hung down almost to her knees, and carried an old, faded shirt in her hand.

Hetty emerged from the bathroom dressed in a comfortable cotton robe. She put her neatly-folded clothing into her go-bag, and then took off her robe before she got into the bed. She looked at each girl before she spoke.

"Try not to stay up too late, please," she said softly. "Good night, girls."

**29**

Lukke switched the wiring from the computers that worked to the ones that didn't. Not even a glimmer of light showed. In frustration, she knocked one of the malfunctioning machines off the table, and its screen shattered, sending shards of glass everywhere. She ignored the mess.

**30**

Callen went to open the door so that they could go into town for the WiFi. He twisted and turned the knob, but the door would not budge.

"Guys, I think we're locked in!" he announced, turning back to his friends.

"What?!" gasped Eric.

"You crazy, Callen," Arkady said. "Move and let me try. I strong guy." He rattled and banged the door, but it would not open.

"Well, this really sucks!" Deeks said. "Now what do we do?"

Callen smirked. "I think we need a plan B."

Deeks glared at him. "Must you be so helpful?"

"Must you be such a killjoy?" Callen shot back.

"How about you both stop talking for the next ten minutes, until you calm down?" Eric put in. "I don't feel any better about this than you guys do."

"Neither do I," said Arkady, joining them at the table. "But I do think we should all take nap for little while. Maybe you'll stop biting each other's heads off if we do."

"Somebody needs to stand guard," Callen said.

"Why?" asked Deeks. "We have been here all day, and nobody has bothered us, or contacted us."

"The pizza boy came," said Eric.

Deeks frowned. "He doesn't really count."

"Maybe not," Callen put in, "but he was a distraction."

"We can get out of here, you know," Eric said.

The others turned and stared at him.

"How?" said Deeks.

"The hatch."

**30**

Kensi and Nell climbed into their bed and faced each other. They began to laugh.

"I swear, I think I'm back in my dorm!" Nell said.

"Agreed!"

Nell became serious. "You okay, Kenz?"

"Yes, I'm all right, Nell. I'm not worried about us," Kensi said, using her chin to point to Anna.

"That's why Hetty is with her," Nell said. "I hope the boys are okay."

Kensi smiled in the gloom. "They are definitely okay, Nell, because if they weren't, we'd all feel it right here!" she said, thumping her chest over her heart with her fist.

**31**

Anna slid into her bed with Hetty. She bunched up the shirt she was holding and put it under her ear. Then she decided she didn't want the others to see it, so she pulled it down by her waist. When she realized that she couldn't smell its scent, she balled it up and put it against her face.

Eventually, her fidgeting interrupted Hetty's dozing.

"Anna, dear," she said, "what has you so discombobulated?"

The Russian girl turned onto her back. "I'm okay, Hetty," she replied.

"I beg to differ with you, Ms. Kolcheck," she said softly. "I won't bite, you know. I'm worried about you."

Anna turned to face Hetty.

"I want to go home!" she whispered fiercely, hiding her face in the shirt.

Hetty patted her arm. "We all do, dear. That's why we need to rest now so we can get out of here tomorrow."

Anna said nothing, but she clutched the shirt tightly, trying hard not to cry.

Hetty's instincts were usually on the mark, and tonight was no different.

"Do you know why I put you with me, Anna?"

"No."

Hetty patted her arm again. "I am not as immune to all of you as you think I am. I know very well what is wrong with all three of you, actually, but Nell and Kensi are a bit more adept at handling the separation than you are."

"How would you know that?" Anna groused. She turned completely on her side, facing away from Hetty, clutching the shirt tightly.

Hetty got up and walked around to the other side of the bed.

"Look at me, dear. I am a woman, too, and we can all sense these things about each other.

"Anna, I know this is the first time you've been separated from Callen since you've been back, even though it's been quite a while. I also know you are missing him dreadfully right now, and it's why you've been upset for most of today. I really do understand where you're coming from." She began to stroke Anna's temple, smoothing her hair away from her face. She felt badly for the unhappy girl.

"You might not feel like it right now, but you'll be all right, dear, and so will Callen. Remember that he loves you very much, Anna. We all do."

Hetty continued to stroke Anna for several more minutes, but switched to using the tip of her ring finger as softly as she could. When she sensed that Anna's breathing had stabilized, Hetty gradually stopped. Then she gave Anna and the other girls a kiss good night before she went back to bed.

**32**

The men all raced to the Interrogation room, and Deeks and Eric yanked the table out of the way. Callen took hold of the ring and pulled the door up, only to be met with a total void.

"What's that?" Arkady asked.

Callen looked up at him. "Arkady, I have no idea! I have never seen anything block this hatch before!"

Deeks lay down on his stomach and put his hand down into the water, feeling all around the edges of the pool. He bumped into something solid.

"What the—" he started. He crawled over to the opposite end from where he was, and repeated his actions. Looking up at the others, he said, "Someone has blocked the exit from here!"

"What?! What are you saying, Deeks?" Callen exclaimed.

Deeks stood up and wiped his arm on his pants, and then dusted himself off. "What I'm saying is that someone has plugged up the exit from here, and it seems to be fairly airtight and secure!"

The four men stood there, dumbfounded.

"Who the hell even knows about this place?" Callen asked. He kicked the hatch closed.

Eric and Arkady put the table back in place, making sure that two of the legs were located squarely over it.

Arkady looked at his companions' faces, and felt bad for them. He knew they were very frustrated, and beginning to get equally as upset.

"Boys, come on. We go sit in the other room, and maybe we find movie to watch." He waved them on, herding them into the main room.

"The WiFi doesn't work right now!" Eric pointed out.

"Then we can listen to somebody's podcast!" Arkady retorted. "It's better than listening to all of you grumble!" He stretched out on the couch again.

Eric claimed one easy chair, and Deeks sat in the other one, leaving Callen to bunk on the floor.

"So? What you decide?"

None of them said anything, so Arkady fiddled with his phone until he found a local sports station, and listened to the game they were airing.

Callen got up and snatched the afghan off the back of the couch, and folded it in half lengthwise before he laid it on the floor next to his go-bag. Then he lay down on his stomach, and surreptitiously reached into his bag and pulled out a soft pink scrunchy. He wrapped his hand around it until he got comfortable, and then slipped it around left his wrist when he was ready to settle down.

Footsteps stopped in front of him.

"I'm okay, Arkady," Callen said, refusing to open his eyes. "I need to take a nap for a little while."

"да," Arkady replied. "I think we all should." (Yes.)

He checked on Eric and Deeks, and saw that both men had dozed off, and were sleeping peacefully. Then he wandered into the bathroom to look for more afghans in the bureau. He found them, and draped one over each of the three men before he ensconced himself on the couch again.

**33**

The door to Lukke's room opened, and her mother nearly had a fit. She could not believe that her daughter had broken the computer like that. Resigned to another day of picking up after her careless daughter, Mrs. Persienner went to get the broom, dustpan, and vacuum cleaner. In just over an hour, she had restored the room to a semblance of human living.

**34**

Once again, the door to the suite opened again with no notice. Hetty accepted the food cart wordlessly, and shut the door firmly behind the orderly. On a whim, she tried opening it again, and it opened easily, as if there had never been anything wrong with it to begin with.

Hetty frowned deeply. She could not figure out what was going on and had no way to contact anyone whom she could ask. Sighing, she took an Earl Grey teabag, and put it in a delicate cup, and then poured boiling water over it. While she let it steep, she checked on her sleeping girls before she got dressed for the day. Then she pulled the coffee table closer to the easy chairs, put her feet up, and relaxed.

She was glad of having nothing to do, and decided to milk it for what it's worth because it was way too early for the girls to be up and about. She laid her head back, and closed her eyes.

**35**

Callen sat up, feeling refreshed. He looked around, and noticed that everyone else was still sleeping, including Arkady. He stood up, and then slipped the scrunchy off his wrist, and put it deep in his pocket. Then he picked up and folded the two afghans and put them both on the dining table.

Wanting some fresh air, Callen went to open the back door and was very surprised that it opened with ease. He stood staring at it, wondering how it had become so jammed the day before, to the point that it wouldn't open. He shook his head, and then padded into the bathroom to freshen up. When he was finished, he took the old newspaper, and searched for the Fun Pages, and a pencil that had a point. He wanted to do the crossword puzzles.

**35**

Not too long after Callen woke up, the others woke up as well. They were calm enough to wait their turns to freshen up, and Callen was glad they weren't fighting.

Deeks washed out the coffee pot before brewing more. He put enough coffee grinds into the filter for each of them to have two cups of coffee, and then plugged it in.

"The door opens," Callen said carelessly.

"What?" said Eric, rubbing his eyes. "How do you know?"

"Because I went for some fresh air," Callen answered.

Arkady looked askance at him. "Don't be fresh boy, Callen," he warned. "What we eating for breakfast today?"

Callen smirked and returned to his paper.

Eric rummaged through the fridge, and found a box of eggs. "How about some fried eggs or scrambled eggs?" he suggested.

Deeks shrugged. "Why not? Are you cooking them?" He did not feel like cooking since Kensi wasn't there.

Eric looked at him, shocked. "Uh…sure! I guess I can, at that!" He looked at each man, and was fairly ignored, so he decided to scramble them. He cracked all of the eggs into a bowl and beat them within an inch of their lives with a whisk. The intensity gave him a good opportunity to work out his frustrations with this highly annoying situation. In a very short while, he served his friends, and they all had high praise for his efforts.

**36**

The girls trickled into the dining area, and none had gotten dressed.

"Did you all sleep well?" Hetty asked, as she joined them.

"Yes, Hetty," said Anna, who flipped the extra shirt over her shoulder. She reached for a plate, and served herself some scrambled eggs, to which she added salt and pepper, and several strips of bacon, and two pieces of toast.

Kensi's sharp eyes noticed scattered damp patches on the shirt but she said nothing at all about them. Instead, she followed Anna's lead, and piled up her plate just as well. Both Nell and Hetty opted for the pancakes and sausages.

They sat in a companionable silence, enjoying every bite.

"Girls, I made an unusual discovery this morning. The door to this suite opens very easily now."

Kensi frowned. "What? This was all a ruse to get us out of circulation?"

"It sure seems that way, Ms. Blye," Hetty answered. "Have any of you been able to come up with a reason why any of this happened?"

They all shook their heads.

"Do you think there is some case we didn't solve yet?" asked Nell.

Hetty shrugged. "I truly do not know, Ms. Jones. It has been a most bizarre occurrence!"

"Indeed it has!" Kensi agreed. She chugged a bottle of water, and then fanned herself.

The other girls laughed at her.

"A bit cold there, eh, Kenz?" Nell said with a smirk.

Making a face, Kensi nodded. "Not funny!" she gasped before breaking into laughter. "Hetty, can we go home today?"

"Oh, I certainly hope so, Ms. Blye! I have had as much of this place as I can take!"

**37**

"Get yourself pulled together right now, Lukke! It is Visiting Day."

"Maybe I don't want to see him!"

Mrs. Persienner raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? He is your brother."

"So?"

"So it's your obligation to visit Frekkie on visiting days."

"Why?" Lukke started slamming drawers and doors, looking for something to wear that wasn't raggedy. "It's not my fault he got locked up!"

"True," agreed her mother. "But it is his fault for teaching you how to hack computer mainframes."

Lukke laughed. "Yes! And I've had a lot of fun with it for the past couple of days, too!"

Mrs. Persienner frowned. "Just what have you done, Lukke?"

The sixteen-year-old glared at her mother, and then grinned. "Nothing much," she said nonchalantly. "I only shut down the people responsible for locking him up."

Her mother's eyes became as big as oceans. "You did what?!"

"I shut them down so they could learn what it's like to be locked up!"

"Lukke, YOU don't even know what it's like to be locked up!"

"No, I don't, but they had no business getting my brother locked up!"

"Lukke, why is your thinking so skewed these days? Your brother broke the law. People go to jail when they break the law."

Lukke put on her shirt, and a hoodie over it. "Just because he broke the law does not mean he needs to be locked up."

Mrs. Persienner sagged onto the bed. "You had better be careful yourself, Lukke. If they figure out you are behind this, you will also be going to jail."

**38**

"Boys, get a move on," Arkady said. "I really want to get out of here."

"Hold your horses, Arkady!" Callen griped. He checked around to make sure that he had packed up all of his belongings in his go-bag, as did Eric and Deeks.

Then all three ran around straightening up and washing and drying dishes.

Arkady grabbed at Deeks. "What wrong with him?" he asked, pointing to Callen.

Deeks flashed a brief smile. "He's okay, Arkady. He is missing Anna is all."

Arkady grinned, feeling better than he had in the past day or so. "This is good to know, Deeks. Cпасибо." (Thank you.)

"No problem, Arkady. Can we leave now?"

Arkady checked his pockets for the car keys, and wagged them in front of the boys. "Yes!"

**39**

"Kids, get packed up please," Hetty said as she gathered up her own belongings.

"I am ready," Nell said. She sat in Hetty's recently vacated chair and put her feet up on the coffee table, and then laughed.

Kensi jammed her shorts into her over-loaded bag and zipped it closed.

Hetty snickered in the background. Although she didn't like it much, she was very amused by Kensi's mile-wide trail no matter where she was.

Then she walked around the suite, making sure that nothing was missing or out-of-place…except for Anna.

"Girls, where is she?"

"She went in the bathroom, Hetty," Nell said.

The small woman nodded, then knocked and opened the door. "Anna, are you okay?"

A muffled response came from the shower. "Yes, Hetty. I'm okay. I'll be out in a minute."

"All right, dear. We are leaving momentarily."

Anna shut off the running water, and dried her face on the blue shirt. She decided to wear it under her hoodie, and then finished getting dressed quickly.

"I'm ready," she announced, gathering her hair into a ponytail.

"Good," said Hetty. "You all have absolutely everything?"

"Yes, Hetty," the girls chorused.

"Okay, then." Hetty opened the door, only to be met with the chauffeur. She shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, boy!"

They followed him out to the big car, and then climbed in while he put their luggage into the trunk.

Each settled into a corner of the car, and did not feel like talking or hanging out.

Hetty banged on the divider, and the glass slid open.

"Yes?"

"I presume you're taking us to our main office?"

"Yes."

And the glass slid closed without a sound. Hetty made a face, and sat back.

**39**

Lukke stomped down the corridor to the Visitors' Lounge, following behind her mother, who signed them in. After a few minutes, a guard brought in her older brother Frekkie, who greeted his mother and sister cordially. Then they all sat down on a bench that ran along the length of the wall.

The visit was obligatory and short.

"Frekkie, I need you to talk to your sister out of hacking things," his mother began.

"Why?"

Mrs. Persienner frowned. "Had you not hacked NCIS, you would not be here! I think she spent all of yesterday hacking them again, or worse."

"Worse? How can you do worse than hacking?"

"Yesterday, she told me that she had hacked them again because she wanted them to know what it was like to be in jail. What does that mean?"

"I don't know, Mom. Why are you even here?"

Mrs. Persienner sighed. "I am at my wits' end trying to get her to see the errors of her ways. What did she do to them?"

Frekkie shook his head. "I have no idea." He stretched across his mother and tapped Lukke on her knee. "Hey!"

Lukke pulled her earbuds from her ears. "What?"

Frekkie's expression changed to one of horror. "How'd you get in here with those?" he asked, pointing to her buds.

"They're mine," she replied carelessly. "They can't take them!"

"Oh, yes, they can, Lukke!" Frekkie said, moving away from her. "Mom, take her out of here, please!" he begged. He did not want another extension added to his already overloaded sentence.

A savvy guard strolled over. "Is there a problem here, Frekkie?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not really. I would like to go back to my room, please."

"So soon?" asked his mother.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I do not want to deal with her when she is breaking the rules here." He held his arm out, and the guard put handcuffs on him so she could safely escort him back to his room.

Lukke took umbrage. "You can't do that!" she cried, pulling on the guard's arm. "He didn't do anything!"

Mrs. Persienner froze, as did Frekkie.

"Oh, my God," he breathed. He waited with baited breath to see what was going to happen to his little sister, as did his mother.

**40**

Deeks thumped the double door open with panache. "I have never been so glad to see this place in my entire life!" He hugged the wall. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

In spite of themselves, the other three men laughed, and agreed with him.

They sat in the bullpen, with Arkady at Sam's desk, and Eric at Kensi's.

"Boys, what we doing yesterday? Why we there?"

Callen said, "I don't know, Arkady." He poked his computer, and it lit up like a sun. "I keep thinking we were kidnapped so that somebody could do something to the girls."

Deeks frowned. "But Hetty? Nobody does anything to Hetty that she doesn't bring down on her own head!"

Callen chuckled, and Arkady smirked.

"This is true," Callen said, leaning back in his chair. He put his hands in his pockets, and feeling the scrunchy, he wiggled his hand through it and slid it up his wrist.

"Nice bracelet!" Deeks laughed.

"Thank you!" Callen said, holding out his arm for all to see. "It's all the rage!"

The other men all laughed.

"But seriously, how the hell did they manage to kidnap Hetty, too?" Deeks said, looking at each man.

"Why don't we go upstairs and find out?" Eric asked sensibly.

Callen nodded. "We could do that!"

They all piled into OPS and waited while Eric booted up the mainframe, which whirred into frenetic activity.

"Yesss!" he crowed.

Callen crossed himself. "Thank God!"

"Boys, were we kidnapped?" Arkady asked. He sat on Nell's chair. "This chair too high!" He looked around for the knobs that he could use to adjust it.

"Arkady, please leave it as is, okay?" Eric asked.

The big Russian looked at him funny. "Okay, boy. Not a problem."

"Eric, can you look around for some hacking?" Callen wanted to know.

"Sure." Eric poked several buttons, and lists and lists of numbers came up. The last five numbers on one list were identical. "Guys, look at this!" He pointed to it.

**41**

Hetty rapped on the divider again, and again, the glass opened effortlessly.

"Yes?"

"You can stop along the street here," she instructed. "We'll walk back."

Anna frowned. "Why?"

"Why not, Ms. Kolcheck? I want to get this entire mess out of my head as soon as I can, and if walking back part way will allow us to do that, then so be it," Hetty answered firmly. She squinted at Anna. "Stop being so contrary, dear. It's really making things that much harder for you."

Anna's pretty face contorted into a growly face, but she didn't say anything. She looked at Nell and Kensi, both of whom nodded in agreement with Hetty. Then she sulked.

The big car glided to a stop around the corner from their alley. The chauffeur popped the trunk, and Kensi pulled out their luggage from it. Then she slammed the lid closed, and the car drove off quickly.

**42**

"Oh, my God, Lukke!" exclaimed her mother in horror. "You just assaulted a federal officer!"

"So?" said the fresh girl.

"So, it means you get to spend the night in lock-up," said another guard, as she clapped handcuffs on Lukke's wrists.

"You can't do that to me!" Lukke screamed.

The second guard looked at her. "I think we just did. You have the right—"

Lukke glared at the guard holding Frekkie. "They can't do this to me, can they?" she asked.

Frekkie replied, "They didn't. You did it all to yourself, Lukke. You never listen, and you never follow rules or laws, and you finally got caught, and I want to stay far, far away from you!"

"Frekkie, don't say that! She's your sister," Mrs. Persienner begged.

"Mom, she might be my sister, but she is not my boss. I've been in here for four years, since the same age she is now. I do not want to be here anymore. I've learned my lesson." He turned to the guard. "Let's go. And Mom, please do not bring her anymore. Not until she wises up!"

The guard tapped him on the shoulder, and then turned him over to a male guard who escorted him into the living quarters.

The warden came over to the rest of Frekkie's family. "I'm afraid she does have to spend the night here, Mrs. Persienner. But, hopefully, she will behave and keep quiet so we won't have to actually charge her with assault. At the moment, she is dealing with disorderly conduct."

Mrs. Persienner nodded. "You know what, Mr. Baumgarten? Do what you need to do! I've had enough!" She turned on her heel, and walked out of the detention center.

Mr. Baumgarten looked at Lukke. "We'll put you in a private room so you won't be bothered by anyone. And, since you will be here tonight, please hand over your devices right now, including the earbuds." He held his hand out.

Lukke shook her head in disbelief. She did not know whether she should laugh or cry. Not knowing what else she should do, she gave her earbuds to the warden, and then she was escorted to a room.

"Damn," said Mr. Baumgarten. "She really has better things to do with her time than be here!"

**43**

Nell ran over to the big double doors and gave them a hug. Then she patted them. "I am so glad to see you," she said.

"Come on, Nell," Kensi said, laughing. "Move so I can open the door!"

Laughing, Nell backed up, and Kensi jerked open the big door. She stood back so that the other three women could enter.

"Oh, yes!" Hetty agreed, smiling. "Excuse me, girls, but I must go directly to my office!"

Nobody argued with her.

**44**

Hetty stopped in her tracks.

"What are you doing on my couch?!"

Arkady sat up. "Is that the way to greet your best friend?"

In spite of herself, Hetty smiled at his brashness. "Arkady, you really have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

The big Russian smiled at her. "Yes, Henrietta, I do. The boys and I had an adventure yesterday."

Hetty plunked into her chair, and plugged in her hotplate.

"How so? The girls and I had an adventure!" She glanced at the hotplate, then turned it off and unplugged it. Then she looked at her friend. "Screw the tea! Arkady, hand me the Glenfiddich!"

**45**

Nell made her way up to OPS. Grinning a mile wide, she stood quietly while the pneumatic door hissed open. She saw Eric at his station, poring over all kinds of data. Her heart skipped a beat as she crossed over to him.

"Hey, Beagle," she murmured, putting her arms around her best friend.

"Oh, my God! Nell!" Eric yelped in surprise. He spun around quickly, and jumped up so he could hug her. "I am so glad to see you!" He squished her, and then kissed her.

She patted him with two hands. "Yes, well…I am glad to see you, too, Beagle." She sat on her chair, and then he sat down.

"Who sat here?" she asked.

Eric grinned. "Arkady did."

Nell looked askance at him. "Really? Well…that doesn't matter. I have to tell you about my day yesterday…"

**46**

Deeks was sitting at his desk with his feet up on it. His chair was tipped backwards as far as it would go without falling over. He was sound asleep.

Kensi stood at the edge of the bullpen for several minutes, watching him. Every single emotion she had ever had welled up in her, threatening to explode as she came to realize just how badly she had missed him the night before.

"Oh, my God," she breathed. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "Damn."

Deeks grinned from ear to ear as he heard Kensi swear. He did not open his eyes, but instead waited to see what she was going to do.

Kensi stared him down. She was very aware of a subtle change in his breathing, so she knew he was awake. A huge smile broke out on her face.

"Deeks," she breathed.

He sat bolt upright post haste, startling her. "Kensalina!" He got up, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, cradling her head. "Man, did I miss you yesterday!" Then he kissed her over and over and over.

She grabbed his fuzzy head and kissed him again. "I missed you more! Wait until you hear what happened to us!"

**47**

Anna found Callen stretched out on the couch in the lounge. He was catnapping, not sleeping, and she knew it. She stood there, studying him for a few minutes. Then she knelt beside the couch, and kissed him softly.

"моя любовь," she whispered. "Гриша, любовь моя." She put her hand on his chest as his eyes fluttered open. (My love. Grisha, my love.")

"я скучал по тебе, моя Анна," Callen said softly. He sat up. "Are you okay, baby?" (I missed you, my Anna.)

Anna threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I am fine, Callen. I missed you so badly last night."

He nodded. "I understand, baby, better than you want to know!" Then he kissed her.

Anna blushed, and then rubbed her face on his shirt. "We girls had an adventure yesterday," she volunteered. Then she saw the scrunchie on his wrist and laughed. "I understand you, too, Callen," she added, unzipping her hoodie.

He laughed at her shirt. Then he hugged her close. After a while, he said, "We guys had a day, too!"

**48**

The following day, the entire team reported to OPS, feeling a hundred percent better. They all helped to dig into the phone numbers that Eric had discovered, and learned that Frekkie Persienner's little sister was responsible for hacking into their computers, rigging the doors and windows at the places of incarceration, as well as kidnapping the agents.

With a few well-placed phone calls, the LAPD went to Lukke's house, and arrested her for all of her crimes, including weapons possession. Although it was a comparatively minor charge, the guard at the detention center changed her mind and pressed charges as well, so Lukke was going to be locked up for a long time.

As they gathered up their go-bags and prepared to go home, Hetty called to them.

"Just a minute, everyone."

Seven faces looked at her, trying to hide their impatience.

"Hang on a minute," she added, "Just hang on." She signaled Arkady to hand out shot glasses of her favorite Scotch. "I want to commend you all on a job well done. We all went through hell the other day, but we came out on top, and we put the perp behind bars. Let's toast our wonderful family!"

They saluted each other. Then the six put their glasses down hastily, and fled, leaving Hetty and Arkady behind.

He looked at her. "They good kids," he said.

"They are, indeed, Arkady. They are, indeed."


End file.
